Haiti and Oman at Biennale

Haiti and Oman have named artists for the 61st Venice Biennale, adding two national presentations to the 2026 edition that opens on May 9. (wlrn.org) (artasiapacific.com) Haiti selected Édouard Duval-Carrié, the Port-au-Prince-born Haitian American artist and curator whose work has long drawn on Haitian history, Vodou imagery, and Caribbean politics. WLRN reported the announcement on April 23 as Duval-Carrié previewed his Venice-bound work in Little Haiti. (wlrn.org) Oman chose Haitham Al Busafi, an artist, architect, and curator, for an installation titled “Zinah” that uses sand, suspended metal, and sound. ArtAsiaPacific reported the selection on April 22 and said the work will be shown in the Arsenale Artiglierie. (artasiapacific.com) (arabnews.pk) The Venice Biennale is one of the art world’s largest recurring exhibitions, built around a central international show and separate national presentations staged across Venice. The 61st edition runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with preview days on May 6, 7, and 8. (labiennale.org) This year’s exhibition carries the title “In Minor Keys,” a project developed by the late curator Koyo Kouoh and carried forward by La Biennale di Venezia with her family’s support. That means new national announcements are landing inside an edition already shaped by a major curatorial loss. (labiennale.org) (biennialassociation.org) For Haiti, Duval-Carrié’s selection puts a senior diasporic artist on one of contemporary art’s biggest international stages at a moment when Haitian cultural institutions and artists have been working under severe national strain. Haitian outlets and WLRN both framed the participation as a chance to project a Haitian and Caribbean voice abroad. (wlrn.org) (lenouvelliste.com) (alterpresse.org) For Oman, the pavilion extends a broader state-backed effort to raise the country’s cultural profile through international exhibitions. Arab News and Canvas said the project was commissioned by Oman’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, with officials describing culture as part of the country’s diplomatic outreach. (arabnews.pk) (canvasonline.com) Duval-Carrié is preparing his work from Miami, where a pre-Venice studio event in Little Haiti is scheduled for April 24. Al Busafi’s contribution turns an Omani horse adornment tradition into a large-scale environment that visitors will hear as well as see. (miamiandbeaches.com) (arabnews.pk) When the Biennale opens in Venice on May 9, these pavilions will enter the same citywide exhibition circuit as dozens of other national presentations, each trying to claim space inside a single global art event. (labiennale.org)